HELLO & WELCOME
DR LARA OWEN

Author | Teacher | Consultant
Dr Lara Owen is recognised internationally for her pioneering and continuing work on menstruation. She is the author of Her Blood Is Gold, first published by HarperCollins in 1993, and Reorganizing Menstruation, published by Oxford University Press in 2024. She holds a PhD in menstrual organization from Monash Business School and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews. She teaches a Master’s level course in Contemporary Menstrual Studies, and consults with organizations worldwide on policies and practices.
STUDY WITH LARA
NEXT LIVE EVENT
September 12-15, 2025 at Lingen Hall in Herefordshire.
A training retreat with Dr Lara Owen and Dr Nancy Bancroft.
Trauma and the Menstrual Cycle
Registration is now open
C0ntemporary Menstrual Studies
The first year of the Master’s level program in CONTEMPORARY MENSTRUAL STUDIES has been running annually since March, 2022. This course gives a thorough grounding in menstrual research knowledge and methods across disciplines. For their individual work, students do a research project on a topic of their choosing.
An optional second year was introduced in March 2025 which emphasises a specific issue in each module. For their individual work, students work in small teams to prepare and teach a seminar on a topic decided for them.
Students come from varied backgrounds and from all over the world and we have a developing and supportive community.
This year’s courses have now begun and registration is closed.
If you are interested in joining in 2026, please email Grace for information and to have access to priority enrolment in October 2025.
What course participants are saying
Scroll this section to see comments made by CMS students around the world.
“I have gained in-depth and practical knowledge in every aspect of the topic of menstruation and a rich and detailed understanding of feminism. I highly recommend this fantastic course.”
Andisheh Jahangir, Health Project Officer, Iran
“This course, with its comprehensive, considered and unparalleled scope, offered a ground and breadth of knowledge largely lacking within the field of menstruation as a whole. Dr. Lara Owen is an incredible teacher and brilliant mind. I am grateful for this course beyond measure.”
Samantha Neal, Menstrual educator, Byron Bay, Australia
“Lara’s considerable experience, engaging delivery and supportive approach has made this course an incredibly valuable contribution to my PhD studies.”
Karen Abi-Karam, Sussex, PhD student, University of Dundee
“Dra Lara is an amazing educator who holds safe space not only for learning, but also for a personal transformational process. I highly recommend it.”
Mariana Soriano, PhD, Sexual & Menstrual Educator. Co-Founder YAWAR Project, Bolivia
“Being part of the Contemporary Menstrual Studies course was genuinely inspiring. Lara, our exceptional professor, guided the class through a fascinating learning journey, attentively listening to students and fostering an environment that embraced diverse perspectives.”
Nicole Spohr, PhD, Menstrual educator and activist, Amsterdam and Brazil
“The Contemporary Menstrual Studies course was a privilege to participate in. Lara’s dedication to ensuring menstruation receives the attention that it both requires and deserves is an inspiration.”
Molly Haglund, South Gippsland, Australia.
“Taking this course has been one of the best experiences that one can have as a woman, a researcher, or someone keenly interested in menstruation.”
Erika Lizbeth Vega Anaya, PhD student, Tamil Nadu, India
“The Contemporary Menstrual Studies course has provided me with the knowledge and confidence to bring the conversation around menstruation to different environments and to increase my efforts to fight its stigma. It has helped me to evaluate more critically what I read and see about menstruation in the written and online media.”
Didi Ananda Rashmika, yogic missionary and menstrual activist, Dutch based in Colombia
“One of the best decisions I have made. Dr. Lara Owen, an exceptional educator, offered phenomenal support throughout the course, further enhancing my learning experience. I strongly recommend this course.”
Wendy Atswei Laryea, Founder, Inspire to Rise, Ghana
“This class was such a pleasure to be in and the highlight of my 2023. It exceeded my expectations and was exactly the kind of grounding in menstrual studies I had been looking for for years.”
Kate Uhlman, Operations, London
LARA’S BOOKS
Reorganizing Menstruation: Menstrual innovations and the redistribution of boundaries, capitals, and labour
Reorganizing Menstruation explores contemporary menstrual practices, looks at what is revealed when longstanding gendered stigma is disrupted, and discusses how this significant social change relates to broader trends and possibilities.
For details on the book and to order, go to its OUP page (for institutions and for full information) and to Amazon and major chains internationally. The book is also easy to order at independent bookstores.


Her Blood Is Gold: Awakening to the Wisdom of Menstruation
Lara Owen’s ground-breaking book on destigmatising and acknowledging menstruation was published by HarperCollins in 1993 and has since been updated twice. It is now in its fourth edition (2022, Archive Publishing), sells in higher numbers each year, and is also available in Portugese (2019), French (2021) and Spanish (2024).

Her Blood Is Gold:
Awakening to the Wisdom of Menstruation
This ground-breaking book on destigmatising and acknowledging menstruation was published by HarperCollins in 1993 and has since been updated twice. It is now in its fourth edition (2022, Archive Publishing), sells in higher numbers each year, and is published in translation in Portugese (2019), French (2021) and Spanish (2024).
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